Lucy is the second child in a 30-mile radius to suffer an apparent necrotic injury as schoolgirl Abbie Kinnaird from Colchester, Essex, was left with a gaping hole caused by a suspected venomous brown recluse spider.

Lucy’s mum Sarah Cannon claims she had noticed numerous unusual looking spiders in the home over the weeks building up to the bite but thought nothing of them and had been hoovering them up while cleaning.

‘The bite still looks yucky. When I saw the story about Abbie Kinnaird the similarities between her and Lucy struck me.

‘It started exactly the same way and the injury looks identical.’

Sarah said Lucy’s bite appeared as a small blister-like mark (on Nov 13, two weeks after Abbie was bitten on Oct 28) which was itchy but then became sore and inflamed.

Over the next few days the redness around the bite got bigger so carer mum Sarah took her to the doctors where Lucy was first given an anaesthetic cream and then a course of antibiotics.

Later that week the bite still hadn’t improved, a black mark appeared and Lucy began shivering so Sarah took her back to see a doctor who advised going to hospital.

Little Lucy Cannon was left with a large oozing black scab (Picture: Mercury)

Abbie Kinnaird from Colchester, Essex, was also hospitalised (Picture: Mercury)

What to do

NHS England advise anyone with a bite to seek medical advice by contacting their GP or NHS 111 if:
You’re worried about a bite or sting
Your symptoms don’t start to improve within a few days or are getting worse
You’ve been stung or bitten in your mouth or throat, or near your eyes
A large area (around 10cm or more) around the bite becomes red and swollen – your GP may refer you to an allergy clinic for further tests or treatment (read about treating allergies)
You have symptoms of a wound infection, such as pus or increasing pain, swelling or redness – you may need antibiotics
You have symptoms of a more widespread infection, such as a fever, swollen glands and other flu-like symptoms

Sarah said: ‘I was worried that it was blood poisoning. When they suggested I should take her to hospital I was quite panicky, it was all really scary.’

Lucy was admitted to Ipswich Hospital where she was hooked up to an antibiotic drip which was administered every eight hours in an attempt to flush out the infection.

Since leaving hospital Lucy has weekly check-ups with the nurse to check the infection doesn’t return.

Abbie Kinnaird’s mum Hayley said that she was surprised by how similar Lucy’s injuries were to her own daughter’s.

Hayley, 35, said: ‘I was really shocked when I saw the pictures. At first I thought they were of Abbie’s hand, it’s just really weird to see a near-identical injury like that, right down to the black bit in the middle.

‘I would urge any parents concerned about a bite to get it checked out straight away, and if you’re not happy to get a second opinion. I’m glad I did.’

However a spokesman for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) said: ‘Sightings of non-native spiders should be reported to local councils environmental health teams.’